Forgive and Never Forget
by A-Stretched-Mind
Summary: Daniel finally decides to pop the question, but was it the right decision? Robert Timmins doesn't seem to think so. R&R please, my dearies.
1. Prologue

Daniel cleared his throat. Today was the day. The day he would ask her.

He opened the door to the post office. He heard the familiar clang of the doorbell as he walked in. The floorboards creaked welcomingly as he walked across the floor to the counter. His senses were always enhanced when he was nervous, and today he was particularly nervous. He waited at the counter where no post office employee stood. He knew Laura or Miss Lane or Thomas would be there, because he could smell Minnie's baking burning in the oven, so he waited. He went over the conversation he had planned out in his head. "Hello, Laura. Lovely day isn't it?" he would say. He could hear her voice in his head as he imagined her replying "Why, yes, it is, Daniel!" she would say with a dreamy look in her eye. "I do love the month of May, with all the birds out and—" his thoughts were interrupted by Laura's appearance at the counter.

"Hello Daniel! Lovely day isn't it?" she said cheerfully. Daniel couldn't believe it. She had said his exact planned greeting!

"Why yes it is, Laura! I do love May, with all the birds out and the sun finally warming up and—" he realized what he was saying: the response he had planned on Laura saying. He cleared his throat roughly. "Anyway, do you want to picnic in Lark Rise tonight?"

"I would love that, Daniel! That would be so wonderful. May is just right for a picnic. On the hills, my favorite spot! How about five o'clock?" she replied, deciding not to question the strange thing he had said. It seemed like he had something on his mind, so she disregarded it.

"Perfect! I'll see you then." he answered, beaming at the girl he hoped to marry. Soon. Laura wondered what he seemed so over-enthusiastic about. As Daniel exited the post office, he reached into his pocket and toyed with the delicate ring in his otherwise empty pocket.

He was excited and nervous about his awaiting proposal to Laura. Excited because he thought she wouldn't turn him down and hopefully they would be married before the year was out. But he was nervous that he'd mess up his words and ruin the moment, or that she _would _turn him down, or he wouldn't be able to say anything at all. He somehow felt sure that something would go wrong, and at the same time, he felt it would be perfect.

All he knew for sure was that the night would, come what may, stand out.


	2. Question

Daniel was in his room at his mirror. He turned to the side, seeing if the suit he wore was the right one. No, too formal. He tried a different one. Too long. He tried on a another, only too end up wearing the first one he tried. He checked his pocket to make sure he hadn't forgotten the ring. Of course he hadn't. How could he forget the ring? He checked again.

He wasn't his usual pre-assured self. He doubted whether Laura would say yes, whether he had the ring, whether his hair was combed nicely, whether he had his shoes on the right feet. He didn't normally get this way when he was nervous, but this was the biggest thing he'd ever done. Obviously.

He was off to the post office to pick up Laura. Daniel tripped on his way out the door, but caught himself on the railing of the steps before he fell. He thanked God it hadn't happened it front of Laura, she probably would've giggled. He recovered his embarrassment quickly and headed down the street to the post office.

At the post office, he greeted Laura and gave her his arm as he took her outside. The sun was still out, generously lighting the path. He knew when he asked her he would have enough daylight to see her beautiful face.

In Lark Rise, the air smelled strongly of tulips and fresh grass. Laura inhaled the scent of her favorite spot in Lark Rise. The familiar rolling hills welcomed her back to her hometown. She took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air and turned to Daniel. "Lark Rise is so beautiful in the spring..." she sighed as she laid the red and white checked blanket they'd brought on the grass. She sat down and he followed suit, taking a seat close to her. He set down the basket with their light dinner in it and put his arm around her shoulder. She settled in to his side while he opened the basket with his unoccupied hand. He took out two sandwiches of turkey and cheese wrapped in warm cloths. As he unwrapped one and handed the other, Laura studied his hands. She always loved his hands. They were strong—and they looked it—without being too meaty. She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. It was pretty good. Daniel had made it himself, and, living alone, he had to know how to make some things food wise. He had definitely improved from the first time she had eaten something he'd made. Suddenly, Laura noticed how quiet he was. He usually talked so much. But tonight... he'd barely said anything.

"Daniel, is something the matter? You're so quiet tonight. Usually I can't get you to stop talking." she said, teasing him gently.

"Oh, it's uh, it's nothing..." he replied. He didn't really know what to say, because they had barely started to eat, and he didn't want to propose _yet_. And he hadn't really thought about much else besides her today. And yesterday. That week. He searched his mind for something to talk about. Thankfully, Laura saved him.

Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she said, "A small parcel arrived at the post office today for Thomas. He says it's got a book of music for his trumpet. He was certainly excited to open it when he went home."

They carried on their small talk informally, and Daniel made several attempts to muster the courage to go down on his knee as they walked along the edge of the pond. Finally there was a pause in conversation. Daniel swallowed hard, took a deep breath, grabbed both of Laura's hands, and said, "Laura. I have something to ask you."

Giving him a strange look, she said, "Okay. Go ahead then."

Daniel got a little sweaty. He couldn't go back now. He really was going to do it. He let one of her hands drop and knelt down on one knee. Laura's eyes widened. Daniel reached into his pocket, grabbed the ring, held it up to her. Tears welled in Laura's eyes as she put her free hand to her mouth.

"Marry me, Laura. I want to spend my life with you. Like this, the way we are right now."


	3. Responses

Laura was speechless. All she could do was nod her head. Daniel beamed and slid the delicate ring onto her finger. He stood to reach Laura's green-eyed gaze and held her in a long, satisfying kiss. Grabbing her hand, they walked the End House, where her family was finishing their supper.

Laura burst through the door, beaming, with Daniel right behind. "Hello, Laura! Daniel." The Timmins family greeted the young couple.

"What are you two so wound up about?" Robert asked with one raised eyebrow. Gripping each other's hands, Laura and Daniel looked over at one another, and back at Laura's family.

"We're getting married!" Laura exclaimed.

There was a still, piercing silence (apart from Annie's quiet giggling). Robert got slightly red in the face; Emma's brow furrowed; Edmund looked open-mouthed from his parents across the table to his sister and her fiancée, whose smiles were fading slowly. Frank stirred his peas and Ethel stared at her sister with a frown. Finally, Emma swallowed and, glancing for a moment at her clearly angry husband, said, "Congratulations, you two." But Laura could see her mother only said this to break the awkward silence.

Robert stood. "You'll have to excuse me," he said quietly, trying to hold his temper. "Mr. Parish, I shall have a word with you. Another time," he growled full of fury as he stomped upstairs. Edmund cleared his throat and looked back down at his plate, which had become suddenly more interesting.

Ethel was the one to speak up. "Mar," she squeaked, "does this mean our Laura has to move far away and only write to us every now and again and not come to visit us?"

Laura's and Emma's eyes widened at this thought. "Why no, Ethel. Of course not. No. No." Emma said, patting her middle daughter's hand on the table, her eyes flitting between Laura with her rumpled brow and Ethel's innocently fearful eyes

Laura rushed over to her and knelt down. "Ethel, I'm going to stay right here. We'll live together, Daniel and I, but we'll just be in Candleford. Don't you worry." she reassured her, getting teary eyed, for a different reason than she had earlier that night. "Of course I would never leave. I couldn't leave Lark Rise behind in a million years." She hugged her sister tightly.

Daniel was utterly abashed. Obviously he would be getting into trouble with Mr. Timmins later on that night, or tomorrow, he didn't know when. He licked the sweat from his top lip. He watched this scene in total astonishment. He was completely mortified. He shouldn't have asked, he had known this whole thing would blow up. Laura must be so angry at him right now. Daniel felt purely ashamed. He hadn't realized he was so disliked by Laura's family. He tried to think back and remember what he had done to offend them. He knew the article he had written in the newspaper about this "impoverished," "needy" hamlet and their"lofty", "snob" neighbors had severely worsened their opinion of him. But he had repented, tried to make things right.

Apparently masons only like to mend stone, and not relationships.

Really, he'd thought, after a while, at least, that Mr. Timmins had recuperated from that blow to his pride and his town's dignity. It seemed everyone else had done so. Even Dorcas Lane had gradually begun to like him. He thought.

Daniel was assaulted by the panicky idea that it was all an act. All the townspeople liked Laura, loved her, so it wouldn't be so far-fetched a conception that everybody was pretending to accept him, all for _her_ sake...

"Alright, you two. You'd best be on your way. It's getting late," Emma said, jolting him abruptly from his thought. He was grateful for that- he didn't _like_ to think no one liked him when all along he'd thought he had friends. He was sure it was just a silly chimera he would soon forget.

The two left the End House in silence. Once they got a bit down the road, Daniel stopped abruptly. "Maybe..." Daniel sighed heavily. "Maybe this wasn't the right decision for us. Right now, anyway."

"Daniel... What... Why are you saying this? Please don't speak like that," Laura said worriedly, her forehead wrinkling.

"It's just—your family is so unhappy about this. It looked like your father wanted to kill me, your siblings thought you would move away, and your mother only congratulated us to lighten the mood. She's not happy about it."

"Daniel! She is. She doesn't hold grudges. What you did, all that time ago, that's nothing to her. Maybe she doubted your trustworthiness, for a time, but that was almost two years ago now. Everyone knows you're a wonderful person. Trust me."

Laura wrapped one arm around his back and placed her other hand on the side of his face. "Anyway, it doesn't matter what my family thinks. We're meant for each other. I am going to marry you no matter what happens," she said. With a smile, she added, "I don't care if we have to elope." Daniel almost laughed, for she knew she would never do such a thing, but again all the muscles tightened in his face.

"But your father—" he was interrupted by Laura standing up on her tiptoes and silencing him with a long, sweet kiss. His arms curled around her waist as he gave up on trying to talk. Upon their lips' departure, he smiled weakly down at her and she mirrored his expression. It had gotten dark. "Now we'd better get home, it's almost ten o'clock. By the time we get back to Candleford, it'll be eleven. Miss Lane will be sick with worry." And they walked off, both feeling almost reassured, but with an acidic underlying vat of fear and anxiety.


	4. Latenight Discussion

"I can't believe it," Robert said, sitting up in his bed. "I can't believe she's getting married! Already! And… to him…"

"Me neither, Robert, but... for heaven's sake, show a little mercy! You mustn't make such a scene about these things. Couldn't you see how happy they were? Couldn't you see that?"

"What I could see was a little girl. Em, she's too young to get married. Couldn't _you _see _that_?"

"Too young? Robert, she's twenty years old. She's older that I was when we were married."

"It's different now."

"Different? How is it any different?"

Robert remained silent for a change.

"See?" Emma smirked at her husband who sat with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Well, even if she wasn't too young, I still wouldn't be happy about this."

"Why?"

He hesitated, then, "He didn't ask first."

"Lordy, Robert! How much can you ask from the boy, he thinks you don't like him!"

"What?" Robert said, dumbfounded. He had no idea.

"When you first met him, sure you liked him fine, but then, after one article in the newspaper, one measly article, you got offended. And you weren't willing to forgive him for that, were you?"

"I was, Emma. I was, I did forgive him; he wrote a better article. But I can't help feeling a little… possessive of my oldest daughter. I even felt this way about Dorcas Lane when she took our little Laura. I suppose I'll have to get over it. She's growin' up now."

"Thank you, Robert. Thank you for giving her this," she said, patting him on the hand. "Now I would like to get some sleep before morning," she teased, turning out the light.


	5. Consolation

When Daniel left Laura on the doorstep of the post office and said goodnight, Laura walked wearily in the front door only to be verbally attacked by Miss Lane.

"Laura, you're finally home. I was beginning to worry about you! It's after nine thirty!" Dorcas exclaimed.

"Sorry."

"Well, how was your picnic? Romantic, I presume?" she giggled.

This reminded her of how she had felt, for just a few minutes before her family had to go and ruin it. "Yes. It was romantic. Daniel proposed to me." Laura said tearfully, plopping down on a chair in the parlor. Her sad tone of voice was contrary to the news.

"Oh, Laura, that's wonderful! Congratulations!" Miss Lane cried. Realizing Laura's intonation, she asked, "Oh, you didn't turn him down, did you?"

"No, of course I said yes." Laura said, exasperated.

"Then why do you sound so... sad?" Miss Lane wondered.

"Well—it's a long story. You see... Oh, where do I begin?" she took a deep breath, then told the woeful story. By the end, she was bawling, letting go of all the pretend strength she'd built up in front of Daniel. She blew her nose into her handkerchief, the one her father had gotten her when she was nine years old. He probably wouldn't give her something half as nice even for her wedding gift. If he even came to her wedding.

"And now—now I just don't know what to do. My par is so angry!" she sobbed. "My whole family is upset, even Edmund. I thought he at least would say something nice, but he didn't even say anything!" she wailed.

"Oh, come now, Laura. He's just letting his pride get the better of him, or something like that. I'm sure he'll ease up in a few days." Miss Lane reassured her, patting Laura on the knee. "It'll be alright." Laura wiped her nose again and nodded, even though she didn't fully believe this. But Miss Lane's gentle words were comforting.

"I must compose myself. I am marrying Daniel because I love him, and in the end it doesn't really matter what my father says. I'm glad you support us, if no one else."

With a nod, Dorcas replied, "Now, I'm sure you could use a bit of rest, hm. Why don't you head on up to bed. Take your book if you like."

"Good night Miss Lane." Laura took her book and started up the stairs to her bedroom, delighted by her engagement and bothered by her family's views on it.


End file.
